Just in Time
by Teri
Summary: Just what is going on with Buffy and Giles? That's what Giles' Aunt Minerva McGonagall wants to know. - Crossover with Charmed and Harry Potter
1. The Battle Axe

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Title: Just In Time

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Author: Teri

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Summary: Just how did Giles escape the Bringer's battle-axe in "Sleepers"? Just what is going on with Buffy and Giles? (Giles/Patti Halliwell; Giles/Buffy). Christmas Fluff

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Author's Note: This was written for the Twisting the Hellmouth Secret Santa Event   
- Story dedicated to **Tara Keezer**. ~ **Merry Christmas**, I hope you enjoy it.  
- Thanks to Danielle for beta reading this for me.

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Note to Tara: I have been in a tizzy trying to make sure this story turned out, but I am not use to writing relationships and I know nothing about your primary interest Anita Blake. The note I received said for the story to be about Giles (whom I love as well) with anyone but Willow and no WWE. So, here's the deal. I really hope you like this, but I am giving you a story-back guarantee. If for ANY reason you do not like the story (or some aspect of it), I will not be offended and I will write you another story or edit this one after questioning you endlessly about your likes and dislikes. So, I hope you like this one, but if not we WILL get you one you will. :): )

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Archive: Twisting the Hellmouth or elsewhere at Tara's discretion since this story is for her. 

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Story Notes: The opening is taken from Buffy, season 7 "Sleeper" (#130) and borrows some dialogue from "Bring on the Night" (#132). I suppose this story is AU due to the relationships mentioned.** Background - Buffy:** The story begins from the end of the episode "Sleeper" **Background - Charmed:** No particular spoilers; however, I have taken some liberties with the character of Patti Halliwell. 

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Disclaimer: I am not associated with the creators or owners of "Charmed," "Harry Potter", or "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer." This story was written for my own amusement and hopefully Tara's enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. 

* * * * *

London, December 2002

Giles enters the flat and looks around. Almost immediately he sees a young woman lying dead on the floor. 

"Oh, dear God! Robson, are you here? Robson!"

Giles continues to look for his fellow watcher and friend, Nigel Robson. He finds him near a chair in the next room. Giles goes to his side.

"You too?" Giles is overcome, taking off his eyeglasses as he begins to tear. He feels a surge of relief when he realizes that his friend still has a pulse. "Dear God, I thought you. . . ."

Robson's eyes flashed open and he cut off Giles, "Gather them. It's started."

"It's all right. I understand. I'll take care of it. . . "

One of the robed men, known as Bringers, sneaks up behind Giles wielding a battle-axe. He swings it at Giles and everything goes dark as Robson lapses back into unconsciousness.

* * * * * 

Giles turned as he heard someone approach him from behind. He turned too late as he saw the axe descend towards him. He decided to do the one thing he swore he would never do, but how could he not use every option available to him? It was more than just his life on the line; the entire slayer line was at risk. He had a sacred duty and that came before pride. 

"Patti," he barely whispered as the axe fell.

He did not even have time to register his surprise as he noticed a flash of blue and white lights beside him. Before he knew it, he was no longer in Robson's flat. Rather he was in his own flat in Bath with Patti Halliwell standing beside him looking as beautiful as she did the last time he saw her. He was so taken for a moment he hardly noticed the young blonde man who was also in the room. 

The moment passed as he quickly remembered what had just happened. "Robson?!" Giles was desperate to get back to him. He was in danger.

Patti glanced to the young man next to her. "Leo?"

Leo nodded. "On it." He quickly vanished in the same flash of blue and white lights that had brought them there. 

"Leo will take care of him." Patti smiled at Giles. "Don't worry, he is safe."

"I'm sorry," he started to stutter out.

"It's okay, Rip." She smiled at him as she reached her hand to his shoulder.

"I never wanted to take advantage."

"I only wish I could help you in Sunnydale, but we're not allowed to interfere there." She smiled at him. "In fact, I am not even a Whitelighter anymore, haven't been in many years. The Elders worried I would have run in to my daughters. So now I am just playing 'Ghost Mom'."

"You look wonderful."

"Well, it is amazing what being dead does for the complexion." 

The beauty of her laughing smile stunned Giles as she teased him.

"Thank you for saving me," he smiled and put his hand over hers, "yet again. You always arrive . . . _just in time_." 

"I . . ." She looks at him slightly at a lost.

"Oh, hell." Giles puts an arm around her and leans in for a long deep kiss, full of love, affection, memories, and even perhaps a little lust. Patti returns the kiss and the emotions as they greeted each other for the first time in years. 

The two broke apart after a few minutes. 

"Patti, I'm sorry." He blushed. "I seem to always be saying that to you."

"Oh Rupert, when will you ever learn you don't need to be sorry with me?"

He looked down and started to pull out his glasses to polish. 

"No, you don't Rupert Giles." She reached over and stopped him. "You will not do that now." Instead she pulled him to the couch and patted the place next to her indicating for him to sit. "Now tell me what is going on with you. You were my very first innocent after I died, my first charge, and I think I have a right to know what is going on in your life now."

"Your first charge? I still can't get over that. I was a watcher-in-training who was raising demons and they sent a new Whitelighter to stop me." He shook his head in amused disbelief. "'Course, I was hardly an innocent."

She just glared at him trying not to laugh as he tried to appear innocent. He gave her the 'who me? What did I say' look that just sent her laughing.

They sat and talked about old times and new. They talked about when they first met. They talked about Ethan. Patti told Giles about her daughters. 

However, Giles had been very quiet about the personal details of his own life. Sure, he told her about the fight against the First. He talked about his worries for Willow, Xander, and Dawn. He even talked about the latest gossip he had heard from his maternal Aunt Minerva, a teacher at the fabled Hogwarts School, although he had not attended the school himself, he always tried to keep abreast of the wizarding news. They talked about all this and more, but somehow Giles neglected any real details about his slayer. 

Some how the silence told Patti much more than words could ever tell. Patti's eyes twinkled mischievously. "So tell me about this Buffy?" 

* * * * *

Patti and her mother were able to help direct Giles over the next few days towards finding the potentials. Where their information was short, his Aunt Minerva filled in the gaps. Between both sets of witches, he was well on his way to finding the girls. 

* * * * *

Several days later. . . 

Buffy opened the front door of her house, prepared to leave, but was surprised to see Giles standing there on her front porch preparing to knock.

"Buffy." Giles smiled, happy to see her again.

"Giles." Buffy smiled, already feeling better just because he was there. She moved to hug him, but was prevented as three Girls she didn't know, Molly, Annabelle, and Kennedy, walked between them and into the house. 

Buffy confused by the new arrivals turned to Giles.

"Sorry to barge in. We have a slight apocalypse."

* * * * *

Buffy and Giles are walked side by side down Main Street, Sunnydale.

"This place you originally saw 'The First'," Giles began, "you say it was in a Christmas tree lot?

"Under it. There was a hidden cavern. Just happened to be under a tree lot." She looked at him and gave him a quizzical look. "So not actually anything about Christmas, although it was kinda odd. Anyway, the Bringers were doing some kind of ritual." Her look shifted to worry as she looked up at Giles for reassurance. "Giles, this is bad, isn't it? A new kind of bad."

  
"_Just in time_ for Christmas."

Buffy nodded as they continued to walk. "You know, I didn't even realize it was December. Maybe when we get home, we should decorate the rubble." She stopped walking and looked over at him again. "Think you'll ever show up for a real visit? The kind where the world isn't about to end?

  
"If we survive this, I promise." 

  
"Good. 'Cause I miss you."

  
"I miss you too." 

Buffy and Giles continued to walk together, arm-in-arm, both some how feeling happier than they had in a long time. Buffy saw something in a shop window and began to drag Giles towards the store. 

A sprig of mistletoe with a magical light golden dusting, appeared out of nowhere in the doorway of the store. 

As they are about to walk underneath the mistletoe, Buffy noticed it and pointed it out to Giles. "Look Giles." She smiled at him. Not the dull smile she had since Glory, but the vibrant happy smile she always had through high school. "It's tradition."

Giles was delighted to see that smile. The smile that he never thought would grace her face again. Something inside of him just snapped. He knew what he had to do. He smiled as he leaned down as if to kiss her.

"A little nudge in the right direction," Patti whispers unseen or unheard by Giles or Buffy. "I hope you like my Christmas present." She smiled widely. "Non-interference on the Hellmouth? Well, like my daughters, I never was very good at following the rules." 

"Merry Christmas Rip; Merry Christmas Buffy." Her smile grew as she laughed at herself as she stolen. . . er. . . borrowed Livingston's famous line, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." 

* * * * * 

I hope you enjoyed this Tara and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Hope everyone else has a wonderful Holiday (whatever your holiday may be) Season as well. 

Thanks, 

Teri (Garnet_TM@yahoo.com)

* * * * * 

If the magic mistletoe didn't work, Patti would just have to get Buffy to write a 'Dear Phoebe' letter or else she would write Professor McGonagall. Yes, Minerva would make sure things turned out for her favorite nephew. She had a way of getting people to listen to her, but that was another story for another day . . . 

Or was it? 

Interested? See the sequel, "Just in Time: The Conspiracy"


	2. The Conspiracy

The story didn't get much of a response, but since I had already written this final chapter, I thought I would post it anyway in case someone was interested. 

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Title: Just In Time: The Conspiracy

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Author: Teri

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Summary: It is time for Giles and Buffy to stop avoiding each other. Giles' Aunt Minerva has a plan. (Giles/Buffy). Crossover with Harry Potter. Christmas Fluff. Sequel to "Just in Time"

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Author's Note: This was written for the Twisting the Hellmouth Secret Santa Event 

- Story dedicated to **Tara Keezer**. ~ **Merry Christmas**, I hope you enjoy it.  
- Thanks to Danielle for Beta reading this for me!

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Story Notes: Borrows some dialogue from "The Killer In Me" (#135) . I suppose this story is AU due to the relationships mentioned.** Background - Buffy:** See the first story for details **Background -Harry Potter: **None, I am only finishing book one now. 

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Disclaimer: I am not associated with the creators or owners of "Charmed," "Harry Potter", or "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer." This story was written for my own amusement and hopefully Tara's enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. 

* * * * *

If the magic mistletoe didn't work, Patti would just have to get Buffy to write a 'Dear Phoebe' letter or else she would write Professor McGonagall. Yes, Minerva would make sure things turned out for her favorite nephew. She had a way of getting people to listen to her, but that was another story for another day . . . 

Or was it? 

See Patti wasn't the only one who thought that Giles needed to get a life and that Buffy was working on her second, er. . .third, or even fourth life depending on how you looked at it so she was the perfect donor. 

As Buffy and Giles pulled apart they were looking at each other in ways that they hadn't before. Those passing on the street knew they were seeing the beginnings of something special. 

Buffy began laughing as she noticed a yellow tabby cat brushing against her leg. The cat had a look of wisdom and odd square markings around its eyes. 

Giles looked at Buffy questioning her. He never kidded himself thinking he was the best kisser, but he had thought, in his Ripper days, he was pretty good. 

"It's tickling me." She laughed some more pointing to the yellow cat at her feet.

He looked down to see what was tickling her and looked right into a pair of familiar eyes. "Oh, Merlin."

The cat merrily looked up at him and smirked. Least as much as cats can smirk he supposed.

"Giles?" Buffy asked, concerned, noticing the color drain from his face. 

"Nothing, luv, nothing." 

His mind wandered for a moment. 'Well, actually, Buffy, that cat looks sort of like my Aunt Min, but this is the middle of the school week so I don't believe she would be here playing with your leg. Besides I don't see my aunt as the type of peeping-witch to spy on us and, well, play with your leg. What I mean how does a cat remind me of my Aunt? Well my Aunt is a cat. At least some of the time as she is an Animagus. What does that mean? Oh, just more things I never told you.' 

He snapped out of it and put his arm around her and they continued to shop and talk. They took advantage of every mistletoe they came across and, thanks to Patti Halliwell, that had been atalmost every store. The whole time the cat followed behind the happy pair. 

Giles and Buffy stood on her front porch, preparing to go into her house. Giles leaned over and kissed her again. "I don't want things to go back to the way they were."

"Me neither." Buffy smiled for a moment, before her smile fell, "but it will. It has to. For now, at least doesn't it?"

Giles didn't want to agree with her. He wanted to tell her nothing was more important than the start they had made tonight. He wanted nothing more, but he couldn't. It wouldn't be the truth. He had realized that there was something magical going on tonight and that nothing would be the same in the morning and even if by some long stretch of the imagination they were, they still couldn't start a relationship, not with the specter of the First hanging over them. 

"Giles?"

Giles shock his head negatively. 

"I'll have to go in the morning anyway." He looked as if he was trying to hold back tears. Trying to keep that famous stiff upper lip that the Americans always claimed the British had. He wished he had one. "More potentials to find, as it were."

She understood. 

They looked at each other, coming to silent agreement.

They both walked into the house as if nothing had happened. 

A woman in emerald green robes, odd square glasses, and her dark hair pulled in a bun watched the scene unfold. "Seems, Ru, that Patti called me _just in time_." She smiled, a rare sight on her face, and apparated away. 

* * * * *

Several weeks later . . . 

Xander is on the phone, standing in the Summers living room with Dawn, Andrew, and Anya. He is listening to the other end of the phone. It is obvious he doesn't like what he is hearing. 

"He was attacked, this Robson guy in England." He falls into the chair in what seems to be an overwhelming sadness. "And Giles was there helping him. And there was a Bringer." 

  
Anya leans forward. "Xander?"

"Robson blacked out, but the last thing he remembers is Giles's head about to get really familiar with a Bringer's very sharp axe." 

"Oh, my God!" Dawn said loudly. 

  
Anya was confused. "Giles never mentioned any of this."

  
"Robson said by the time he came to, there was no Giles."

  
"So, what are we saying?" Dawn asked, knowing deep down what Xander was saying.

  
"Maybe Giles just didn't want to talk about it." Xander was grasping and he knew it. 

  
"Or maybe he didn't make it." Anya always practical voiced what the others were thinking. "Look, I'm not saying it's a happy scenario, but we're dealing with a big bad that can be any dead person it wants." 

  
"Because if you want to infiltrate the inner circle of the slayer..." Xander added

  
"Become the one person she trusts more than anybody else." Anya finished for him.

  
"But there's no way that we can know."

  
"Actually that's not true." Andrew spoke-up. "The First can't take corporeal form, so it can't touch anything."

  
"Oh, it's not like Giles hasn't touched anything, right?" Anya looks expectantly at everyone else. Hesitantly, she asked, "has anyone seen Giles touch anything since he got back? Hold anything? Has anybody hugged him? Think very hard."

They all came to the same conclusion. Xander stood and walked toward the door, followed by Anya and Dawn. They were going to go find their Giles.

* * * * * 

Giles was sitting by the campfire. He stood for a moment only to be attacked from behind by Xander, Anya, Dawn, and Andrew.

  
"Touch him. Touch him."

  
"Oh, I feel him. I feel him."

  
"Me too." 

  
"Me too."

  
"We all feel each other. Including some of us who don't know each other well enough to take such liberties, thank you." Giles' tone was annoyed as he glanced at Andrew. "I assume there's a perfectly reasonable and not at all insane explanation here."

  
"We thought you might be non-corporeal evil." Anya said casually as if it happened everyday.

  
"We got a call." Dawn tried to explain. "We couldn't remember you touching anything."

  
Xander continued Dawn's train of thought. "We had to make sure you were OK. We were worried."

  
Giles was touched. He had missed them so much and he had been so distracted with his growing feelings for Buffy and all the potentials that he had push them aside. His children. He would have to remember not to make that mistake again. "Oh. That's very sweet. Now wait a minute—you think I'm evil... if I bring a group of girls on a camping trip and don't touch them?"

"Seems we made it _just in time_." Xander laughed.

* * * * *

"Well that isn't what I expected to happen when I called to hint at the fact that Ru may be the First." Minerva spoke to herself unseen by the others as she watched the group carry on. "I expected them to call that Buffy girl, forcing her to stop avoiding him. Hmm, well, I suppose attention from the children will do for now while I try to figure out what to do next. Maybe if Patti and I put our heads together?"

* * * * *

November 2003

"Oh, for crying out loud." A mystery man sighed. He had known what Patti had tried. He figured out what Minerva had tried. He had also seen the stolen glances between Buffy and Giles over the last year. No, no one else noticed, but he saw. He had seen it all and he knew what he needed to do and whose help he needed. It would take a little time and planning, but it would be worth it. With luck, it would be ready _just in time_ for Christmas. 

* * * * * 

December 2003

Giles' Aunt Minerva had invited the gang for Christmas. There would be a small party several days before Christmas, but they would have the house to themselves as Minerva spent Christmas with the students at her "private" school who did not return home for the holidays.

Willow, Faith, Robin, and Andrew remained in the States helping Angel. They would not arrive until Christmas Eve. However, Giles, Buffy, Dawn, and Xander accepted the invitation and were staying in Giles' mother's ancestral home in Wiltshire, in south central Britain for the Christmas Season. 

The home was not quite as large as its closest neighbor, the Malfoy Mansion, but it was well kept and had been in the McGonagall family for many generations. The house was beautifully appointed for Christmas. The walls were covered in silver frost, and garlands of mistletoe and ivy. There were twelve Christmas trees throughout the house, some covered in sparkling icicles and others glittered with hundreds of candles. 

Actually, it seemed there were sprigs of mistletoe with a light gold dusting everywhere you turned in the house and Dawn was getting tired of seeing them go to waste. 

"Buffy is standing under the mistletoe, Giles. Its tradition!" Dawn called out, pulling her candy cane out of her mouth just long enough to speak. 

Giles couldn't help but blush a little at the thought of kissing Buffy again. He had even been tempted to pull all of the mistletoe down. He knew she regretted their evening together last Christmas, even if he did not and never would.

"It's alright Giles." She smiled kind-of-sadly at him. Had it only been a year ago that they were standing under mistletoe together? Everything had felt so right then. 

"Well, if it is tradition." He gave her a half smile. 

He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. It was a small chaste kiss, but it broke the ice for both of them. It seemed from then on every time one of them was under the mistletoe the other would get a kiss, and they didn't need to have Dawn point it out to them again, either. 

Oddly, they always sought each other out, not once kissing Dawn or Xander. Of course after that initial kiss, Xander and Dawn managed to make themselves scare.

Their small kisses here and there started to change until they resembled the newly in-love couple that had walked that street in Sunnydale just last year. 

It turned out the Buffy and Giles just need some time by themselves to reconnect, and of course a little help. Luckily, they hadn't noticed that they had been drinking a small concoction made of frozen Ashwinder eggs, Hellebore, Dittany, Jobberknoll feathers, and a little bit of Ginger. The effect created a slight truth potion, with the increased feelings of love, peace, and clarity. In other words, they got a slight nudge but weren't forced into anything they didn't want. 

By the time of the Christmas party, it was clear that they were FINALLY on the right road. They danced the night away in each other's arms. 

Albus and Minerva watched as the couple danced. He had been glad to help out by supplying the potion. He knew how important Rupert and Buffy were and was glad to help them find happiness. In fact, he was grateful when he had been approached to help get them together. His eyes twinkled as he thought of one more touch that would make the scene complete.

Buffy and Giles only had eyes for each other. In fact they didn't even notice when Albus' enchanted snow began falling from the ceiling. All they noticed was each other. 

"Buffy?" He leaned in to her.

"Hmm?" She answered not lifting her head from his shoulder. 

"I don't want things to go back to the way they were."

"Me neither." She lifted her head up and smiled at him. "Besides, they couldn't even if we wanted them to. Too much has happened over the last few days."

His smile grew to match hers as he twirled her around as they continued to dance. 

The members of the conspiracy smiled at each other. They knew it had been a complete success. 

Albus raised a mug of Hot Chocolate and spoke softly. "To the completion of a successful conspiracy." He was glad to have helped.

Minerva raised her glass of Gillywater and nodded, happy to have provided her home and the time for them to spend together. Happy that her Ru may have gotten the chance at happiness, and he deserved it.

Patti Halliwell became visible to the conspirators, lifting someone else's hot chocolate for the moment. She, of course, had supplied the mistletoe. 

Xander, the man with the plan, grinned finishing the toast with his hot chocolate. "_Just in time_ for Christmas." 

* * * * * 

This time it really is the end. Merry Christmas!


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